Author Topic: Need help with history of guitar (Read 624 times)

keith_h · « **Reply #15 on:** April 11, 2015, 07:36:59 AM »

The back inlay looks familiar or at least its style is. I recall seeing a woman with a similar headdress on an instrument a few, maybe more, years ago.

Looking around the site I see what appears to be this instrument or one like it in several threads. It seems to pop up every couple of years with the latest being from 2012. Unfortunately there are no pictures left in any of the links to confirm it is the same guitar but some specifically mention the nude lady on the zebra. In those threads it is always referred to as an Allan Thompson guitar which is what I suspect the ebay auctions called it. The one thing that led some people to believe it isn't an Allan Thompson is the amount of neck inlays but other things like the back inlay would fit his style. Nothing definitive was ever decided just folks gut feelings. I suspect this will be one of those where the provenance is never known unless the builder steps forward.

Keith

johnqsmith · « **Reply #16 on:** April 11, 2015, 12:52:37 PM »

Keith, pace, thank you for the comments and info! I greatly appreciate it. This piece was supposedly a Thompson Irwin collaboration, so hearing it could possibly be a Thompson is good news!

I was also told recently that Doug Irwin had a mark he placed on his works, usually in the electronics cavity. Is that true?

sonicus · « **Reply #17 on:** April 11, 2015, 01:50:02 PM »

Hello John.
I met Mr. Irwin back when he was building in his own shop in the 1970's. I went up there a few times while he did some custom work for me and I has able to hang out a little as well . I even got to see some work that he was doing for Jerry Garcia at the time . He even once lent me an Irwin built Bass with option to purchase . I took this Bass's to play at a gig to try out. I am currently still in contact with a Bass player who still owns two Bass's that Mr. Irwin built for him . I recently played both of these during a visit . I just called this fellow and asked him directly for you regarding a mark in the electronics cavity as an indication of being Irwin . The reply to the answer was No.

elwoodblue · « **Reply #18 on:** April 11, 2015, 02:24:14 PM »

Do you have any pics of the open cavity ?

johnqsmith · « **Reply #19 on:** April 11, 2015, 03:51:38 PM »

Sonicus, thank you for the info. This forum has been an enormous help. I can't thank you all enough.

Elwood, That is basically the only part of the guitar that I didn't photograph/take video of. I thought about doing that, but I didn't have any tools with me when I got the photos done. (I had a friend help me with the photos - he posted the photos online for me too and just sent me the link address, I'm not exactly the most tech savvy guy out there.) I'm starting to think I need to get that one last area photographed/video recorded.

johnqsmith · « **Reply #20 on:** April 11, 2015, 05:12:51 PM »

Sonicus, thank you for the info. This forum has been an enormous help. I can't thank you all enough.

Elwood, That is basically the only part of the guitar that I didn't photograph/take video of. I thought about doing that, but I didn't have any tools with me when I got the photos done. (I had a friend help me with the photos - he posted the photos online for me too and just sent me the link address, I'm not exactly the most tech savvy guy out there.) I'm starting to think I need to get that one last area photographed/video recorded.

samsamaha · « **Reply #21 on:** April 12, 2015, 09:21:45 PM »

wow, that is some serious inlay work.. is that done in house? or taken to a specialist?